Evil Is A Matter Of Perspective
by IsomorphicTARDIS
Summary: Watch-the-show-fic! UNIT watches 'The Waters of Mars'. Well, after a few introductions, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yay! My first WhoFic! Celebration! Well, it's my first WhoFic to be posted. I've got about three others to write and another to post soon...I kept all of these stories on my computer for two years and never posted them in fear of getting criticized...pssshhhh, I don't really care anymore, though. So flame all you want! I couldn't care less! But seriously, at least try to be civil, please. **

**DISCLAIMER: If I did own Doctor Who, this world would probably die with the disgrace it is. So, in simpler terms, I DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO. There. *wipes away imaginative tear* Happy now?**

** So, to those of you out there reading this now, I wish you a sincere nice life! You only get one, after all! Well, unless you're a Gallifreyan...but never mind that, R&R! (p.s. Have you noticed how hard it is to type that? I keep forgetting it's on the seven key. UGH, I'm sorry, you obviously don't want to sit there and listen to me burbling on about typing! Of course not! I thank you for a wonderful one-sided conversation, and shall end it at the end of this page! For now, read on!)**

UNIT Headquarters was not all it was cracked up to be.

Yeah, you've got the underground secret bases, the satellite mechanisms tuned to notify them of alien movement, and all of the chief generals with more classified ranks than the President of the United States has, but that was pretty much it.

The real excitement wasn't with underground testing, or floating machines in space, or people who had access to _everything_ about Earth.

It was about an alien called the Doctor.

Very few people have ever seen the Doctor – most of which have had their memory wiped by a higher-ranking facility and now work alongside others as if nothing had happened. But the stories are still passed on, rumors still whispered, proof still contained. For the Doctor only shows up during crisis that are beyond UNIT's control. Some people even claim to have traveled with the Doctor, but mostly everyone just regarded the tales as stories.

Yet, for Level 3 Clearance Officer Kathryn Bryant, stories were all she was ever going to get.

So many stories to hear, and so many stories to tell.

But for now, Kathryn was taking her lunch break with a couple of colleagues. Ones who she managed to find one common ground with on her first day at UNIT - They all revered the Doctor, working on projects to find out more about the mysterious alien. They even all worked in the same room together, alongside others.

The entire group consisted of Kathryn (Kate) Bryant, who had started the entire thing, was considered the first ranking officer of their group, and was a sort of Sherlock Holmes for gathering information,

Samuel (Sam) Clark, who was a computer genius that almost never stopped researching the Doctor,

Sean Reed, who specialized in alien behavior and kept talking about how unique the Doctor's behavioral pattern was,

Nicole Taylor, who was an anthropologist that found the Doctor to be "one of the most amazing creatures I've ever seen," and collected quarters,

Jacqueline (Jackie) Gonzalez, Nicole's assistant with a fiery temper,

Joyce Thompson, who monitored alien activity and found an interest in the Doctor's frequent visits,

Fred Whitman, who delivered coffee and told some quite amazing stories about the Doctor,

Lawrence Howard, who compared alien activities with the weather and atmosphere of Earth (just like Joyce, he found the Doctor's frequent visits and modifications of the weather quite odd), and was second in line for gathering information with skills a bit more dull than Kate's,

Jean Russell, who also brought coffee, but came from the higher ranking officer's floor, giving them much more riveting and factual stories than Fred, though they were considerably less in numbers,

And Kelly Nelson and Anna Ross, both of which were placed in the unfortunate position of maintaining the peace between the people who liked the Doctor and the people who didn't.

Overall, they were a bunch of misfits that came together after they signed up for UNIT.

Right now, Fred was inviting them into a famous story that, surprisingly, only had the Doctor appear once.

That was Kate's first clue.

Fred never – _never _– told a story without the Doctor coming in at least three times. It was sort of his way of honoring the Doctor. And they never did anything different.

"Fred," she started in a small, polite voice, but every pair of eyes snapped to attention, looking expectantly back at her. Even Sam peered over his computer screen to take a look. It had gotten some getting used to, having the rest of her team listen to her every word to insert their opinions and responses. However, being at UNIT for more than three months got her used to it. "What's wrong?"

His eyebrows shot up, hovering dangerously close to his hairline – he had the ability to raise eyebrows like nobody else – but he calmly replied, "Sorry?"

Kate rolled her eyes; they all knew what she was talking about. "I mean, you never only mention the Doctor once in your stories." He gave an indignant squawk here, none of them ever talking about their obvious obsession outright. "I mean it. You _never_ do that. So, something's up. What is it?"

Slowly, a smile began creeping up on Fred's face, and Kate then noticed he wasn't looking at her, but at a point beyond her shoulder. She whipped around to find Jean walking casually toward them, a tray of coffee held delicately in both hands. Her gait was slightly off, however; she put more pressure on her left leg than on her right – a signal to Kate saying she had found something.

As soon as Jean took her customary spot, Kate blurted out, "Okay, what's up this time?" Jean seemed to ignore her, sending out the coffees to each respectable person. She bit her lip while giving Fred his, showing Kate that Fred was in on the same thing she was secretly excited about. Something was definitely wrong.

Jean Russell did not get excited.

She calmly sat down, and when everyone had leaned in to listen to her, she whispered with barely concealed excitement, "The Doctor is _here!_"

The reaction was instant – everyone recoiled in surprise except for Jean and Fred, various shouts flying through the air, everyone grasping for an explanation.

"What do you think he's doing?" That was Sean.

"Where is he? Do you think we can see him? Would we get in trouble if we followed him around?" Definitely Joyce.

"Oh my god, what if he's in trouble? He's got a binary vascular system and an incredible immune system, not to mention his outrageous metabolism but that doesn't mean he can't get a lethal injection from one of the flu vaccines we have to give out before you come in here – Oh! He could be dying and we wouldn't even know it!" And Nicole.

"Do you think he can fix my old Linux? I've been trying to get it to work but something seems to be stuck in the hard drive, and the software acts up occasionally. I remember an article on the Internet somewhere telling me he was a computer genius –" Sam.

"All right!" Kate susurrated at the rest of her team; their uproar had gained them some suspicious looks to which Kate responded with one of her own: Mind-your-own-business-this-doesn't-concern-you. Once they were free of speculation of the surrounding crowd, Jacqueline finally broke, hissing, "Just tell us about him already!" Jean and Fred both shuffled in their seats.

"You don't know a thing about him, do you?" Kate whispered, unable to help the desperation and disappointment from leaking into her tone. Jean's head snapped up, and she said, "We know he's here. And we know he's got a _way_ higher clearance level than us, so he'll be in the higher sections of UNIT. However, we were hoping Sam here could hack into the security cameras so we could get a look."

Sam didn't seem to need the hint, and began hacking into the cameras before Jean could finish her sentence. There was a beat of silence, and Sam blurted out, "Oh my god." His eyes didn't leave the screen.

They all rushed to his side, eager to see the small pixels on his screen forming a picture of...the TARDIS.

Every mouth hung agape, eyes twinkling as they took in the blue beauty before them. Two pairs of eyebrows narrowed imperceptibly, and Kate and Lawrence both muttered under their breath, "It's different."

"And how do you figure that?" Jacqueline said, exasperated, though no one could miss the note of incredulity in her tone.

Kate gestured to Lawrence to go first. He shot her an appreciative look and delved into info gathering mode.

"Well, first of all, it's a slightly different shade of blue – the TARDIS we're familiar with is a lighter color, and it has the St. John's Ambulance sticker on it. It's also a bit weathered down. Something's different, maybe it's a new incarnation?"

Kate looked over at him with a nod, and took up where he left off.

"He's right about the color and the sticker. But this TARDIS hasn't just been weathered down; it's an entirely different TARDIS. When the third incarnation of the Doctor visited, the TARDIS was in much worse shape on the outside than it is now, correct?" They all gave a nod, though she thought she heard a mutter of, "It wasn't that bad."

"So we can assume that the TARDIS started out pretty bad and gradually got better over the centuries. The thing is, though, is that this TARDIS isn't too far away from what the third Doctor's TARDIS looked like. Meaning, from what I can gather, that the Doctor's fourth incarnation is here. Not any person we'd recognize. He could be anyone," she finished, and plopped down into her seat with a sigh; the rest of her team followed suit.

"Well, that's not technically true." All heads snapped to Sean. He looked panicked for a moment, then said, "I mean, we all know he has a very odd sense of fashion, right? So...just look for the person out of place."

It took a few moments to digest all this, but before anyone could compliment him on his discovery, a new voice, the one Kate recognized as the one that objected to calling the TARDIS worse for wear, rang out: "That's a matter of opinion. It's not that odd, compared to what you all are wearing. In my opinion, you all look very processed."

No one breathed.

The Doctor, fourth incarnation, was sitting directly next to Sam, who promptly fainted, falling backwards until the Doctor caught him and leaned him on the table.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I do tend to be rude sometimes." The Doctor looked at all of them in turn, frowning at their reactions.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jacqueline blurted out, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

All heads turned slowly to glare at her incredulously. The Doctor just tilted his head to examine her more clearly.

"No, I daresay I don't. Though I do have an assistant." He glanced toward the doorway, back at the team, and then at the doorway again, quickly leaning back to the team to say, "And I do not think it is very wise for me to be here while she barges through the door in exactly…four seconds. I will be under the table shall you need me. Good day," and with that, he disappeared under the table. Moments later, the double doors to the cafe burst open, a very red and irritated Sarah Jane stomping up to the team's table.

"Doctor!" she yelled unnecessarily, all of them knowing he was cowering beneath the table.

He poked his head out. "Yes, my dear Sarah?"

She whipped a finger into his face, poking him between the eyes with each word: "Why," _poke_ "On,"_ poke_ "Earth," _poke_ "Would," _poke_ "You," _poke_ "Do," _poke_ "That,"_ poke_ "To,"_ poke_ "Me," _jab._

The Doctor, now rubbing the top of his nose and groaning in protest, said, "Do what?"

Sarah Jane growled and stole the Doctor's hat, throwing it to a recently woken up Sam, who caught it and fainted again.

"You left me stranded out there in the blazing heat while you ran off to go consort with UNIT!" She yelled.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. Slowly, he reached out a finger and poked Sarah in the arm, receiving a slap in response.

The team was having trouble not laughing.

"Well, Sarah, this may be a bit hard to explain, but I'm not the Doctor. Not your Doctor, anyway." He blathered, and Sarah hesitated.

"But you're still you! You haven't regenerated or anything!" She whacked him again on his arm, as if to confirm he was real.

"Yes, I am real, but we are in two different points in the time stream – I'm from your future and you're from my past." He explained calmly, gesturing toward the doorway where another Sarah Jane and another Doctor were talking calmly.

"So I'm from your past and you're from my future," the other Doctor concluded his conversation with the other Sarah Jane as he sidled up to the other Doctor, leaning across to look at his older self.

"Is that really what I look like from the front?" the older Doctor said at the same time as the younger Doctor said, "Is that really what I look like from the back?"

The team couldn't hold in their sniggers this time as the two Sarah Jane's laughed as well.

"Oh, yes! Sarah Jane, Doctor, other Sarah Jane, this is Kate, Sam, Sean, Nicole, Jacqueline, Joyce, Fred, Lawrence, Shawn, and Kelly," the Doctor introduced, pointing to each person in turn and helping Sam when he leaned to far back in his unconscious state.

Kate's eyes narrowed, "How do you know our names?"

Both of the Doctors smiled. Both Sarah Jane's groaned and shot each other looks of sympathy.

"Well," the younger one started, his counterpart joining in.

"I remember being–"

"Me, watching –"

"Me –"

"Introduce –"

"You to –"

"Me. See?" the younger one concluded.

They all just stared at each other in confusion before breaking into laughter, each of them (excluding both Doctors) unable to hold it in any longer.

Suddenly, a loud beeping interrupted their laughter, and both Doctors leaned over to look at Sam's computer, the owner finally managing to look at both Doctors and stay conscious.

"Back with us?" Kelly teased, receiving a dirty look in response.

"Your computer's broken," the younger Doctor commented lightly, and the older Doctor immediately added, "I believe he might have wanted me to fix it."

"For_ you_ to fix it? I believe you are mistaken; he would have wanted _me_ to fix it," the younger Doctor snapped, giving the older Doctor an affronted look, to which the older Doctor retaliated with a patronizing look and a retort which made both Sarah Jane's snort: "Well of course you would be the immature one, I think you'll find that I meant _both of us_ should help the lad, though my skills obviously exceed yours by experience."

"_Obviously? Experience? _We are only separated by one planetary visitation – I am roughly hours away from your existence!"

"And I learned a lot in those few hours, thank you very much."

"Oh, don't pretend to be mightier than I, you are failing miserably at it."

"I'll have you know, I am much stronger than you, considering the effort in the last few hours of our trip."

"The only thing that got stronger is your ego. And that was already inflated quite enough – "

"Excuse me? I can't seem to hear you over the sound your 'inflated ego.'"

"Alright, that's enough!" Kate shouted over the two. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't you make sure that the Earth won't explode? I mean, there are _two_ of you – of _each_ of you," she corrected, glancing toward the two Sarah Jane's and both of the Doctors.

They both put on identical looks of a…condescending nature, for lack of better word. Kate recognized how well it fit his face, as though he had worn it a lot.

Kate felt a pang of sympathy for both Sarah Jane's.

"Now, Kate, dear, that's preposterous," said the older Doctor.

"The entire Universe will implode with the force of 48 black holes compressed into a millimeter of space, not just the Earth," the younger Doctor scoffed in exasperation, as if Kate was a small child instead of a 26-year-old woman.

"Whoa. Okay, want to explain the twins?" Anna Ross said, walking up to their table, as Kelly walked over to the other table, which Anna had previously occupied.

_Oh no,_ Kate thought, as she saw Kelly gesturing to their table, causing all of the other table's inhabitants to stand and walk over, Ruby Jones first and everyone else in tow.

Ruby Jones, in Kate's opinion at least, was a rude, conceited, annoying and disrespectful little half-troll. In other words, she didn't like the Doctor. Kate knew that judging people based on whether or not they like the Doctor is very biased, but that wasn't just it. The room in which Kate's team works in is split into two factions.

Kate Bryant is the team leader of the Left Side. Ruby Jones is the leader of the Right Side. Kate is laid back but still hard working. Ruby is the kind of hard-core worker, not allowing herself a break now and then. Suffice to say, they don't get along well.

Fred Whitman took coffee for the Left Side, and was their Storyteller. Kevin Rogers took coffee for the Right Side and was their Storyteller. They often competed with most invigorating stories.

Jean Russell was Fred's (unofficial) boyfriend, also brought coffee, and told more truthful stories. Will Bryant was Kate's cousin, brought coffee from the same room as Jean, and told the exact same stories, admittedly with much more vigor.

Sean Reed was in charge of knowing the behavioral patterns of the Doctor. He did his job well, and did it with very much enthusiasm. Nicholas Evans knew the behavioral patterns of the Doctor. He did his job well, but only to learn his weaknesses and anticipate his next move. No one knew who was better, as they mostly avoided each other.

Nicole Taylor was the anthropologist for the Left Side and has a distinct interest in the Doctor's binary vascular system and his more-than-capable brain. Jeffrey Anderson was the anthropologist for the Right side and has a distinct interest in how the Doctor uses his brain and about the Regenerative process. Despite the ongoing war-like environment around them, they get along well, sharing information and maintaining a strong friendship despite their different opinions.

Their assistants Jacqueline Gonzalez and Carol Ward, however, have a completely different line of thought. They are constantly fighting and it usually takes both Jeffrey and Nicole to calm them down to have civil conversation.

Joyce Thompson monitors the alien activity around Earth, specifically searching for the Doctor, her job doing nothing but help to fuel her unhealthy obsession over the Doctor. Mark Morgan does the same, but finds Joyce's obsessive tendencies obtrusive and annoying despite the fact that he has the same tendencies himself.

Lawrence Howard was the monitor for the weather and how aliens affected it for the Left Side. Alan Johnson was the monitor for the weather and how aliens affected it for the Right Side. They disagreed on many terms, but were usually only passive aggressive, angered only when provoked.

Overall, both teams were complete opposites.

And the Right Side was nearing their table.

"We're not twins," both Doctors and both Sarah Janes said simultaneously.

A beat of silence. Then –

"Okay, that was way creepier than I had expected," Lawrence said, looking every bit as startled as he felt.

"…I thought it was pretty cool," Joyce said, oblivious to the odd looks she was receiving.

"…Why thank you, Joyce," both of the Doctors said at the same time.

"Right. Who are you?" said Will blandly, ignoring the glares sent his way in a steadfast manner.

"Well that's quite –" the younger Doctor started.

"– Rude. Isn't it?" the older Doctor finished, ending it in a proper questioning tone and looking at both Sarahs for confirmation. They looked at each other, amusement obvious in their tone, and they said, "Quite."

Both Doctors blinked, looking at both Sarahs with something akin to curiosity, before turning back to the Right Side Team.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the older Doctor said.

"Though the initial rudeness of your inquiry tells us we should feel otherwise," the younger Doctor says with just as much politeness as the older Doctor had.

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Sarah Jane Smith," said the older Doctor.

"And I am the Doctor, and this is Sarah Jane Smith, though, despite some arguments," the younger Doctor glared playfully but pointedly at his elder counterpart, "I _am_ the more skilled one."

A snort came from right beside him, and the younger Doctor whipped around to find the older Doctor holding a hand up to his mouth to stifle a few chuckles.

"What?" he said irritably, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, no, nothing, go on, glorify yourself even longer, and _then_ we'll see whose ego is bigger, _my Lord,_" the older Doctor said, not managing to hold back a few giggles, which he shared with Sarah Jane and the rest of the Left Side Team.

Kate could have sworn she saw _Carol _try to stop the giggles emanating from her mouth while the rest of her team sent her dirty looks, despite the small smirks on their faces.

The younger Doctor just glared right back, and added, with a triumphant smirk, "Oh yes, but you are forgetting one thing. Don't think I missed those occasional sneaks in the mirror to try and watch out for those pesky _grey hairs_," he said, and the older Doctor's face contorted to one of incredulity.

"Are you are kidding? Correct me if I am wrong, but you do the exact same thing! And don't think for one second that I can't pinpoint exactly where the grey hairs on _your_ head are, my _Lord Egotistic_," the older Doctor tried, and it proved to be successful, as the Left Side Team broke into laughter, and the Right Side Team's smirks grew slightly.

The younger Doctor scoffed. "I'm the egotistical one? Well, at least I'm not the one so immature enough to send insults at my younger self," he said, turning his nose up, as though the older Doctor was giving out a foul stench.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have to if my younger self wasn't so dim-witted," the older Doctor said, and the younger Doctor's reply was instant.

"Well maybe if I didn't think myself above myself in the future, we wouldn't be having this ego problem, would we now?"

"Well, then, maybe you shouldn't grow up like you did."

"Well maybe I won't!"

"Won't grow up? How childish of you."

"Of course it is; I haven't grown up."

They both stared at each other for a moment, and the older Doctor recoiled, as if struck.

"Oh, of course, my apologies, I forgot. I never really will grow up, will I?"

"One can only hope," the younger Doctor replied with a smile, and the two Doctors shook hands.

"Are you two done now?" the older Sarah Jane asked, a hint of amusement clear in her tone.

"Oh, come on, you know they can go on forever," the younger Sarah Jane said, and the elder replied with, "Oh, don't I know it."

"Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I'm afraid if we're going to keep the Universe from imploding we shall have to depart soon," the younger Doctor said, and the older Doctor continued. "Now, we may have a slight mishap. See, this whole me meeting me thing has created a Paradox. The only problem is, that in this Universe, there is a slight chance that I – we – may appear here again, in one of my – our – future incarnations. Trouble is, we wouldn't remember you."

"Therefore," the younger one took up, "we have the sad predicament of having to wipe our memories of ever meeting. Now, don't worry, nothing will happen to you, but the extraction of memories can cause sudden loss of consciousness, so we will most probably need a carry back to our respectable TARDISes. If you could be so kind, we could continue on with our lives and not be caught in a never ending Paradox."

"Do you think you may be able to be of some assistance?" the older one concluded, looking at each person independently to ask for help.

"Uh…I suppose my team could take _you_ back to _your_ TARDIS and Ruby's team could take _you_ back to _your_ TARDIS?" Kate ended, looking hesitantly over at Ruby to watch her give her a suspicious but hesitant trusting look before continuing to nod in consent.

"Sure, why not?" said Ruby, and Kate could feel everybody perk up at this solution. Kate shot Ruby a grateful smile, and Ruby returned the favor with accepting eyes.

Maybe they weren't so bad after all.

"Sarah! Both of you! Come over here!" both Doctors shouted after their assistants, who were at their sides in moments.

"Good. Now, don't panic, okay? Can you do that?" the older Doctor said. When they both nodded, the younger Doctor said, "Thank you. Now, we're going to have to clear your memory of a few things, alright?"

They both shared shocked glances, narrowed eyes, and suspicious looks as they turned back to face the Doctors. The older Doctor turned to his Sarah Jane.

"Sarah? Do you trust me?"

"With my life." The answer required no hesitation.

"Then trust me when I say that I will only look at what you wish me to, I shall not pry, and I shall only complete the task I have been assigned by myself. Yes?"

There was a pause this time, but Sarah Jane still nodded. "Okay."

The Doctor broke into a large smile, and nodded at their counterparts.

Two pairs of slender, alien hands reached up to touch two pairs of human temples, and two bodies slumped into two pairs of comforting arms.

Immediately, Kate and Ruby stepped forward to heft up one of the two Sarah Janes, and gave them to the rest of their teams.

Then the two Doctors turned to each other.

"Well, it was nice knowing you."

"It was great while it lasted."

"Not to mention handsome."

"We are, aren't we?"

"Who would dare doubt it?"

They smiled, and brought hands up to each other's temples, and they too went limp, trusting themselves among the hands of a group of simple humans.

Humans that they could trust,

Left Side Team or Right Side Team.

**A/N: So? How'd you like it? That was probably the most fun thing I've ever written. *looks back on it* Okay, nevermind, that's actually quite depressing. I never seem to like my work. Oh well, what can you do? **

** Have a wonderful life, and I'll see you later! R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, to be honest, I hated writing this. This was pretty much just me sloppily throwing together a bunch of words, and just managing to get the message through. Though, however many times I tried to rewrite this, it just ended up as worse scrap than the last. So...my bad? And, if you find this chapter to be the most horrifying thing you've ever seen, I apologize profusely. Though, a review telling me of what I could've done better would probably do both of us some good.**

**Happy Birthday to whoever just happens to have a birthday today, and R&R!**

Four months passed.

The casual tone in which Ruby shared with Kate had long since evaporated, both returning to their Sides to start work.

It wasn't until Ruby and Kate were having one of their most heated arguments that he came once again.

No one heard the _vworp, vworp _as the TARDIS landed, no one heard the door open to reveal an unsuspecting spectator, and, at this point, no one really cared.

"But _why?_"

"_Why?_ Why do I view the man who has the capability to destroy planets, stars, even galaxies, as a possible threat?"

"Yes, why! You don't know this man, and there is a line between what he _could_ do, and what he _should_ do!"

"That doesn't mean he _can't_!"

"But he _won't_!"

"And how do you know that? You've known this man for a total of four hours! The rest of the research has just been biased opinions, not facts!"

"I know him, because I know where his heart is, what his intentions are, and they are nothing but pure!"

"This man has the ability to destroy _everything_ that ever was, and you're defending him?"

"Ruby, if this man had the intention to destroy _everything,_ don't you think he would have done it already?"

"That may be, Kate, but that doesn't mean he won't do it in the future!"

"Just give it up, already! He would never do that!"

"How do you know that?" A new voice rang out, just as it had four months ago.

They all turned to face the doorway, to find a man they thought they would never see in their entire lives. Well, again.

The tenth incarnation of the Doctor walked casually inside, his hands deep into his pockets, though he held himself hesitantly, as though he wasn't sure if he should be doing this or not.

"I mean," he paused, an instinctive hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck – a universal sign of discomfort. "Yeah, I have no idea who your talking about, but…it all depends on the situation, right? 'Cause, she had a good point - if she's telling the truth, you've only known the man for a few hours. And...first impressions can often be wrong. Plus, you can't judge somebody only on their actions, you have to take in what they're like, their tendencies, their personalities. And you can't just shove the little things away, but that's really all they are. Little. I mean, yeah, if this person is nice anyway, that may excuse them from some minor things, but if this someone had the ability destroy Universes, _I'd_ keep a good watch on that person," he said, looking sheepish and extremely embarrassed, but glad that he managed to get his point through.

"…We were talking about you," Ruby said.

There was a moment of shocked silence, in which the Doctor managed to hide his instinctive reaction. But he still couldn't hide the way he deflated a bit, his shoulders slumped, and his back hunched slightly. Yet, instead of disappointment or a variation thereof that Ruby had expected, all she could see was sadness, shame, and_ guilt._

Feeling a bit guilty herself, she said, "Sorry, but…well, I mean, it's like Kate said – we don't really _know_ you, and…"

He looked up, into her eyes, and she felt herself flinch on the outside, but she was internally crumbling. She actually took a step back to see if distance could maybe deafen the blow a bit.

It didn't help.

"Yeah," he breathed, understanding flowing through his every being, only adding to Ruby's guilt. "No, no, I understand. I really do, honestly. Take any necessary precautions to protect others. It's sort of instinctual for you," he said sincerely, and whispered to himself, "Another reason I envy you humans." Everyone heard it nonetheless.

"You envy _us_?" said Fred, surprised.

The Doctor turned to face him, his eyes narrowing, as though he didn't quite understand something. "Of course."

"…why?" Jean asked, genuine curiosity in her voice, and the Doctor gave her a brittle smile that caused everyone else to shiver.

"…Isn't it obvious?" was all he said. To their looks, he gave a small shake of his head. "Alright, then. Imagine your life now, all of your problems, all of your solutions, your work, your relationships, your hobbies, and your habits, everything that makes your life yours. Then compare it to a life that you live all alone. Imagine never being able to die, having to watch everything around you wither and crumble and move on…imagine a large gaping hole filled only with silence. And you know the silence hurts because there used to be voices there, voices that always told you everything was going to be okay, voices that were always there to comfort you, voices that reassured you that _you were not alone._ And now it's all gone.

"Which would you choose?" he said, then walked over to the door, stopping only at the threshold to ask, "Which way to the Brigadier's office?"

Kate was the first to snap out of it, handing him a map and pausing, before whispering to him, "Doctor, I might not know a thing about you, but I do know one thing. _You are not alone._"

The Doctor just offered a fake smile, whispered back a thanks for the map and walked out, leaving only silence in his wake.

Nicholas was the first to speak. "I sincerely hope he isn't always like that."

Incredulous stares met him from all around. "Shouldn't you _know_ what he's always like?" Jean asked, though it wasn't filled with her usual ice - she just sounded slightly shaken.

He heaved a sigh, but before he could speak, Sean said, "Jean, people aren't very straightforward. We all have our sort of layers, or masks. In order for us to know a person, we have to find the person behind all of those masks. It can only take time."

Nicholas gave him a grateful look, then added, "And the Doctor is much harder than the average human. He uses his masks in duality. He wears them as masks, but wields them like shields as well. Therefore, his defenses are much stronger than we're used to when we look at people. So, I guess today was just another advancement in our field."

He looked over and saw Sean staring at him, suspiciously, but there was something else…

But then he blinked and Sean looked away.

Both teams had never gotten along well together because they hated and revered the Doctor.

The Doctor had unintentionally pushed them apart.

But now, it seemed, he was pushing them closer together than they ever could have been.

**A/N: Like I said, not my best work. But, I needed the plot to advance so that I could get closer to my actual goal - something I won't be revealing until the next chapter. Probably. Maybe. Sort of. I don't know, okay! **

**Cheers to you for reading, and pray for me as I attempt to teach my friends to play Minecraft. R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, Audience! Now, I think some introductions are in order - Audience, this is FillerChapter. FillerChapter, this is Audience. Oh, you know each other? FillerChapters are just spaces for plot conveniences? Now, now, play nice!**

**Happy Anniversary to anyone out there who's got one today, and husbands, you'd better pray that you don't forget it! R&R!**

It wasn't any different than another normal day. At least, it didn't seem that way at first.

Kate and her team were stationed on their customary left side of the room, Sam's fingers clacking away on his keyboard, Fred's soft whispering and Lawrence and Sean's awed faces as the storyteller regaled them of a quite amazing tale, Nicole standing with her arms crossed and a triumphant smirk on her face as she watched Jacqueline miscount her number of quarters in her jar (again), Joyce consorting with Jean (more like consorting at – Jean was inspecting her nails and looking extremely disinterested,) about the Doctor's recent visit as the tenth incarnation, as Sean was busy listening to Fred, (Joyce and Sean usually talked about it together,) and Kelly and Anna were watching both sides of the room, bored.

Kate glanced at the other side quickly, hoping she was quick enough to grab a look undetected, but her action didn't go unnoticed. Anna gave her a stern look, while Kelly just smirked at her. One glance, however, was enough to analyze the situation.

Kathy was concentrating only on her computer screen, her keyboard's noise much softer than Sam's, though she was typing faster and with much more vehemence, Kevin was giving Nick and Mark a bit of a story, possibly to confirm an argument about the Doctor, Jeff and Carol were going over charts and graphs about the Doctor's bodily systems, probably discussing weaknesses (as they did every Thursday afternoon), Will was watching over his own side (but Kate wouldn't be surprised if he sent a few curious glances to the left side), and Ruby was leaning in a corner, brows furrowed, eyes closed, arms crossed, and the perfect example of concentration.

Kate clenched her fists. It seems they weren't yet over the encounter three months ago, when the tenth Doctor had come to visit the Brigadier. Rumor has it that he came to warn him, because something was coming. Their own encounter with that specific incarnation had been startling, to say the least. Ever since, the right side of the room has been looking for anything ranging from things that might give the Doctor away, to his weaknesses and darkest secrets.

After all, they said, our job is to find out what we can about the Doctor.

Kate was not a particularly violent person. Excluding any types of evil and Sam's incomprehensible technobabble, nothing really made her angry. This was one of those exceptions – how can they possibly think he was something to be against, looked at as an enemy when he had saved the Earth probably more times than they could count in their lifetimes? They owe him much more than prying eyes and suspicious glares. Both of her palms reached up to apply pressure to her eyes, as if it could push back the impending headache and give her the answers she needed. She supposed, when the time came, he could be fierce – was that it? Did they do all of this because they were scared? That would make sense, but why fear the man who saves millions of lives every day?

She froze.

Someone was passing by the room, and he was upset, going by the tone in his voice. A voice they knew all too well, as they had heard it not three months ago and had sworn to never forget it again.

"…I'm warning you now, Brigadier, he's coming and there's nothing you can do!" Everyone froze at the sound of the voice, everyone swirling around on the spot, trying to glimpse the body to whom the voice accompanied.

"Doctor, I can handle this. After all, he is only a man, correct?" said the Brigadier, obviously not caring for a word the Doctor was giving him.

Sam and Kathy had already pulled up the security cameras and each side was looking along with curiosity as the Doctor stopped defiantly, his overcoat coming to a halt against his legs.

"Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart," the Doctor said, in a tired and pained voice. The Brigadier stopped in his tracks; no one ever called him by his full name, and they doubted most people even knew it. The Doctor just continued. "He…It…is not a man. It is a creature produced and contaminated from a war that destroyed galaxies without a second glance. I am telling you, a monster is coming, and you'd best be prepared for any damage it may case during its stay!"

"Right, Doctor. Even if I did believe what was coming was a monster, do you honestly believe I wouldn't be prepared? We get alien incursions every month, at the least. UNIT is the epitome of prepared." The Brigadier turned to look at his friend, grasping him by the shoulders and letting his own slump, giving him a defeated posture.

"Doctor, I have known you for so long. I have put my faith and trust in you so many times, I'm surprised I still have some left. I believe in what you can do, all that you have done. I _believe_ in _you_ Doctor. We'll be alright."

The Doctor looked into his eyes, and the Brigadier couldn't resist the involuntary flinch that came from locking eyes with a centuries-old Timelord, especially the Doctor. The Timelord gave a cold and bitter smile that looked like it could break at the slightest push.

"But that's the problem, isn't it? You believe in _me_. But I can't help this, what's going to happen. Only _you_ can make it right. _Please_." The utter desperation flowed from his throat, obviously raw from yelling and pleading with someone who wouldn't listen, so when his voice finally cracked and shattered with the weight of the despair hanging onto his soul, no one could repress the shivers that flew up their spines.

The Brigadier heaved a great sigh and nodded aversely, obviously reluctant to do what the alien asked. "I'll try."

The Doctor's posture immediately softened, and the Doctor said quietly, "Thank you. I don't know what'll happen, but the least I can do is thank you for everything. And…I won't blame you…for anything you have to do."

The brigadier spun around on the spot, face calm, but eyes fierce. "Never," he growled, but the Doctor just shook his head.

"I still won't."

With a sigh, the brigadier turned and continued to his office, saying over his shoulder, "Find someone, Doctor. Don't go alone." He gave a sidelong glance to the Timelord, and said, "We all know how that story ends."

He departed and left the Doctor alone.

Alone in the silence.

The Doctor left.

Everyone stood, frozen, not daring to be the first to move, not wanting to break the silence that followed through the shock.

"What on Earth?" Jacqueline stated, causing Ruby and Kate to jump into action.

"Nicholas, get with Sean and find out if he was telling the truth – see if he was showing any of his telltale signs," Ruby barked, and Kate added, "In the meantime, Jeffrey, Nicole, see if he had increased hearts-rate, if there was any sudden increase in brain activity – if there was even a twitch in his hearts, I want to know about it."

"Jean, go with Will and get us some coffee," Ruby ordered, and Will gave a squawk of indignation. "Hold on! We've finally got something big going on and we're going to get coffee?" Will protested, but Jean dragged him by his ear out into the hall, whispering, "We're going to eavesdrop, you idiot."

"Oh. Well why couldn't she have just said that?"

A resounding smack echoed through the halls as Jean slapped Will on the back of the head.

"Fred, Kevin, go get coffee as well, see if any of the lower ranking officers know anything about this," said Kate, and Fred bolted out of the room.

"Lawrence, Alan, check for any fluctuations in the regular weather pattern – I want to know the instant our environment could be turned against us," Ruby said, looking for something else to do.

"Joyce, Mark, quit your fangirling and get to work. Something's coming down to greet us, and it's not going to be pretty. So you should be able to tell us exactly when it hits our atmosphere. Get on it." Kate glanced at Ruby, and their eyes met, a silent agreement passing between the two.

Yes, they had their differences in action and opinion, but they could work together when the need arose.

"Sam, Kathy, get to work on seeing if anything weird has been happening around here lately – some kind of pre-signal to indicate something is coming."

"Jacqueline, Carol…just help out around the room. If it's possible to get things moving faster, make sure they do."

Whatever was coming was probably going to be big.

But so will their preparations.

**A/N: I felt so dramatic writing that chapter. I think I might have a problem. Anyway, the Minecraft teachings are going well. My friend actually managed to survive the first night by passing away the time hiding underground with questions. (Why is everything so blocky? Why are there zombies? Why to the trees float? Why can't I float? If I become a tree, can I defy gravity too? What do you mean, I can't become a tree? etc.) I told her we can pick up there in a few months or so. The headache is still lingering, and I cannot seem to get rid of it. But I digress.**

**Cheers to all of you actually still following this mash of a story, and R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Woo! Next Chapter! It's...just another FillerChapter...yeah, I know, but I'm kind of saving it up for the main event! Which...won't be happening until the next few chapters...you know what? If you read this, I'll tell you in the end...or you could just scroll down and check it out anyway...but I'd prefer if you didn't! Ugh, too much talk, let's get on with the story!**

** Have a very happy day today, okay? You might think that this note isn't that special, but they call the present a present for a reason! R&R!**

They were prepared.

Guards had been posted at every entrance and exit; every person had been given a gun (just in case) and had been told to aim for a leg or shoulder – nothing vital that could kill him (as if). Plus, all security systems were up and running at their best, the silent security alarms intact and working to their best extent.

They weren't prepared in the slightest.

The 'monster' had been identified only as a humanoid, male, somewhere in his 40's, with a bloodstained Victorian outfit.

They hadn't been told whose blood it was.

The meeting informing everyone of this intruder was, to say the least, odd.

The Brigadier sat at the front of the room, rubbing his temples while everyone shuffled into the room and took their seats.

Kate and Ruby's team sat next to each other.

The Brigadier glanced at them in slight surprise before changing his expression to one of gratitude and relief and looking away.

"Right. That's everyone?" There was a collective nod throughout the room.

"Good," the Brigadier said, and took a deep breath, pacing around the few meters he had available to him at the front of the room. "Now, the reason you are all here, is because very soon, and I don't have even an approximation so bear with me, something is coming to UNIT. This…it…is highly dangerous, its motives are unknown, and, if it wished, it could kill us all before you could blink." He was met with surprised but determined faces all around. A surge of pride overcame him before he continued.

"So, we need to be prepared. All security measures have been activated and are operating at full capacity, so I should hope you know when the enemy is within reach. Guards will be stationed at every entrance, exit, and hallway. For your own protection, each and every one of you will carry a gun at all times, until the enemy leaves."

The Brigadier stopped his pacing and leaned in close to all of the scientists and soldiers, and whispered, "I will tolerate a shot to the shoulder, elbow, knee, or leg. But if you so much as lay a finger on a vital organ, I will do everything in my current power to make your life miserable. And if that means bringing the Doctor into this, then so be it." He straightened again, and said stiffly, "Am I understood?"

He hoped he had been convincing, as the threat had been as empty as a black hole. Kate noticed this, but didn't voice it, as everyone else was trembling minutely and nodding their heads vigorously.

The Brigadier sent a sidelong glance of a warning over to Ruby's team, to which they replied with stiff nods all around.

Apparently satisfied with this answer, the Brigadier continued once more.

"The enemy is highly dangerous, however, he will no doubt be wanting to see me. If he wants to know where I am, you tell him I am in my office, and you give him direct directions, wait until he's turned a corner, and let the guards trail him. Understood?" The nods were a bit hesitant this time, but they came nonetheless. A hand shot up in the middle of the crowd. The Brigadier's eyebrows narrowed, and he said, "Yes?"

"Well, sir…I was just wondering…why would he come to see you? Sir?" he added, not wanting to sound disrespectful. "I mean…if he could kill us all faster than we could blink, why would he want to see you? And…shouldn't we be protecting you…sir?"

The Brigadier's eyes narrowed even further, but he said, "A good question." He resumed his pacing around the front of the room. "I have consulted the Doctor on this subject, and even he has told me that he cannot anticipate the enemy's next move. Therefore, we should all be on high alert and not let our defenses down for one second. Understood?"

Once again, nods rippled throughout the room, and the Brigadier turned to Kate and Ruby's team.

"Kate, Ruby, your teams will be monitoring any activity on the enemy, including when it enters Earth's atmosphere, and when it is inside UNIT. Clear?" they all nodded, and Sam gave a thumbs up from where he was now pulling up the alien-monitoring program on his laptop.

Rolling his eyes at their antics, the Brigadier turned to face everyone else. "Questions?"

A couple of hands shot up.

"Yes, you in the back?"

"I was wondering why they were going to be monitoring the alien's activity, while there are people here that have more experience in this particular field, sir," the man said, puffing out his chest slightly to show that he was volunteering he be assigned the job, instead of the teams.

Both teams bristled at this, but wisely kept their mouths shut as the Brigadier said, "Well, I can't see anyone in here that has any more experience in tracking alien activity than the ones who are able to trace a spaceship through Time and Space."

Heads whipped around to gape at the two teams, who just stared back defiantly.

The man in the back just scowled, crossed his arms, and turned away.

Kate sent the Brigadier a grateful glance, chuckling under her breath.

The Brigadier had just told a half-truth to keep them on this case; on one of the rare days in which Sam and Kathy managed to cooperate with each other, they had built a sketchy program that managed to trace the TARDIS through Time and Space to five years in the past.

Why he wanted to revisit the Powell Estate after his companion was trapped in another dimension was beyond them, though Kate managed to float the theory that his companion was still there during that time, before they had met, and he was just visiting her one last time.

However, after the TARDIS left again, the programs mysteriously exploded, leaving all of the complicated code gone. Ever since, they had never tried to work together, because of the tension between the two teams.

But still, they had been able to track it once. And that had been enough.

"Yes, you to the left?" the Brigadier said, snapping Kate back to the present.

"What are we supposed to do, sir? I mean, monitoring alien activity is really all we are good at, sir," A woman said, and the Brigadier regarded her with praising eyes.

"Another good question. You are to go about doing your normal work, as goes for the rest of you. But, if you require specifics, you need to be monitoring other alien activity; I'm not sure when the enemy is coming, but it might come with backup. I will need to know stat if there are any other aliens in the vicinity. Clear?"

She nodded her head, and the movement was repeated through the whole room, as the Brigadier called, "Good. You are dismissed."

Everyone filed out of the room, and the two teams rushed out to get to work.

Finally, something big was happening.

A story worth telling in the future.

**A/N: Alright! Regardless of whether or not you read this extremely short chapter, I'm finally going to reveal the main part! Or, at least, what idea I actually made this story from...here we go! Drum Roll Please!**

***Pitiful Drum Roll done by me on my desk***

**It is a...**

**Watches-the-show-fic!**

**Yeah...I don't know why I went through all of that just to tell you that. Anyway, I originally wrote this to put the ****_Waters of Mars_**** in context for how it must have looked to an outside source, especially one that knew him so well from researching him...and then this kind of grew out of it. Funny how stories can do that, right? Hold on, though. I forgot to ask, do you think you know the monster? I honestly bet you do. I wouldn't doubt you're deducting skills! *winks***

**Anyway, hope you have a ****_fantastic_**** day, and R&R!**


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